Leather substitute and process for making the same.



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LEATHER SUBSTITUTE AN PEOUESS FOR hi We Drawing.

To all whom it may concern Be it brown that T, ROLAND B. Rnsrnss, a citizen'of the United States, and resident of the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Leather Substitutes and Processes for Making the Same, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to leather substitute and the process for making the same.

The steps and products of this invention are an improvement of the steps and product described and claimed in my patent application for rubber fabrics and molded rubber and processes formaking the same, filed in the United States Patent Oflice on or about July 13th, 1917, Serial Number 180,428.

One of the objects of the present invention comprises the production and process of making a strong, pliable, unwoven material of matted fibers formed into sheets or mats having the appearance of undressed split leather. The product may be finished and grained to resemble leather, in the same manner that leather is usually finished. The

' process primarily consists in taking suitable vegetable, animal or mineral fibers such as hemp, flax, cotton, jute, ramie, wood-fiber,

wool, hair, asbestos or the like and form therewith sheets or mats, with the fibers thereof located in any and all directions.

The fibers are preferably located in place by gar-netting, carding or other suitable machines. The sheets or mats are passed between rollers and compressed, after which they are saturated with a binding agent, that causes the fibers to adhere to each other after being dried. After the sheets or mats are dried, they are again passed between rollers and compressed, and a strong flexible sheet of material is produced resembling split leather. The-sheets or mats are next surfaced with a suitable dressing, passedbetween heated graining rolls, which embosses designs on the sheets or mats and produces a finished product having the appearance of grained leather.

One exemplificationof the invention comprises the following: i Raw cotton and ramie are mixed -and formed into sheets or matsby means of gar-- netting, carding or other: suitable machincry. The formed sheets gainers of cotton and ramie' are then between rollers and compressed. cpmpipss'ed sheets are Specification of Letters Patent.

then saturated with a binding agent, which may consist of the following: Rubber gum dissolved in naphtha or benzol to make about a three perceiitum solution. To one gallon of this rubber solution is added one third ounce of balata which has been re duced to a liquid by a suitable solvent, one sixth ounce fish glue, one third ounce silicate of soda, one sixth ounce of sulfur and through heated graining rollers and thereby embossed and designs formed thereon, which produces a finished product having the appearance of finished'leather. The raw fiber before being formed, into sheets or mats may be treated with a dyeing agent to obtain the color required for the finished product. The binding agent may also have introduced therein a coloring agent.

vHaving described my invention,what I desire to secure by Letters Patent an'd'claim is: 1. The herein described process of making Fr1oE.

atented Aug. 20, 1918. h pplication'filed November 2 6, 1917. Serial No. 203,932.

a leather substitute consisting in forming Q a matted fiber sheet, compressing the said sheet and saturating it with a binding agent composed ofrubber, balata, fish glue, silicate of'soda, sulfur and linseed oil, drying the sheet and compressing it.

2. The herein described process of making a leather substitute consisting in forming a matted fiber sheet, compressmg the sheet,

saturating it witha binding solution composed of rubber, balata, fish glue, silicate of soda, sulfur and linseed oil, drying the sheet, compressing it, surfacing the sheet with a suitable dressing and passing it between heated graining rollers.

3. The herein described process of making a'leather substitute consisting in forming a dyed matted fiber sheet, compressing the sheet, saturating it with a binding solution composed o'f rubber, balata, fish-glue, sili-" .cate of soda, sulfur and linseed oil, drying r, the sheet, compressing it, surfacing the sheetfwith a dressing and heated. graining rollers. I p

4. The herein described process of makpassing it between ing a leather substitute consisting-in forming a sheet of fibers, compressing the sheet,

saturating it with a binding. solution com-' posed of rubber, balata, fish glue, silicate of soda, sulfur, linseed oil, and a'colorin'g agent, drying the sheet, compressing it, surfacing the sheet with a dressing and passing it between heated graining rollers.

5. A leather substitute comprising matted r 10 fibers, and a binding agent comprising rubber, naphtha, balata, fish glue, silicate of soda, sulfur and linseed oil.

November, A. D. 1917.

- RQLAND B. RESPESS. Witnesses: a

A. A. DE BONNEVJLLE, V A. W. BAKER.

of New York and State of New York, this 25th day of 1 

